Frankly Mr Shankly

I've always said we need to sign a right 'orrible, hard bastard in midfield. Gregan-esque impact on the team. 90% of our on-field problems would evaoporate overnight.

1 hour ago, AndyB2 said:

Which good teams would they be?

02/03

06/07

07/08

16 minutes ago, LightDN123 said:

I’m not having a go at the fans, as such. 
 

I am simply saying the atmosphere and the acceptance that we arnt going to make the play offs seemed to set in far earlier than it should have. I include myself in that. 
 

I think the toxicity of our fanbase in the desperation for success is the reason why we've probably had the worst home record of any football league team over the past 30 years myself. Even when we had good teams.

14 minutes ago, Littlemoor Lad said:

Mellon has 10 games or else 

22 minutes ago, diggleblue said:

Twitter, tonight's match Aldershot quote- nothing to report in 1st 15 mins.

Plenty to report on in the second half. Outfield player in goal for Gateshead. 

19 hours ago, nzlatic said:

It’s quite unbelievable given how little of the season we’ve been in or near the play offs and that we haven’t won in 9 games, that there’s still a small chance of us getting in. Ridiculous really. We should be well out of it. 

Think I called it with 6 matches remaining we'd need to win four of them. We could've just won one!

Really shows the poor level of quality underneath the top 4 or so, doesn't it? An overhaul in midfield and a right back and I can't see us being any less than 4th next season. 

7 hours ago, Shrimperama said:

What's been the problem?

There isn't enough words in the internet to describe it.

I’m going. I want the chance to willy wave about it in 20 years when we’re hoovering up the Championship title.

21 hours ago, GlossopLatic said:

I have a horrible feeling that Mcgahey will get another year he shouldn't but its quite possible that Mellon likes him.

I do too. I don’t necessarily think that’s the worst thing to happen. He’ll need to be cute with the finances, McGahey won’t be on a lot, or he offered an expensive contract and he can cover either centre half of defensive midfield. Might be used as a shore up option to defend a 1-0 lead. 

in an ideal world, he’d be out on his arse but books have to be balanced and some players will need paying off to get rid.

14 hours ago, simplythemostimportantkick said:

I class myself as an outsider but I’m gonna guess fridge ? 

Gold tier answer!

Just now, oafc1955 said:

We’ll have done well if can get there in another 2 seasons!

I wouldn't rule it out though.

2 hours ago, JoeP said:

I hope someone explained to him before he took over how much money he'd lose.

 

We own the ground and there's £5 million loan (?) available to the club, so we're not in imminent financial danger, are we?

 

He's wasted loads of cash and will probably need to waste a load more before we get to where we need to be.  Hopefully he's got it to spare and is willing to take the hit!

 

 

Once you stop seeing him joivially walking freely around the ground before each home match and on away days then it's start-to-worry time. 

Successful business people learn quickly from mistakes and never make the same ones twice. I'm sure it went on record (via DR's podcast interview maybe?) that they had a plan to achieve promotion to the FL within four years. The sooner the better would be a bonus. I don't think that's neccessarily off track, but we've had a bloodied nose in the first couple of rounds.

I get the impression it's easier to get Israel and Hamas to see eye to eye than @League one foreverand @nzlatic 

9 minutes ago, yarddog73 said:

Defence is the weakest aspect for me, it really needs an overhaul and I'd only keep a couple of them.

That we conceded less than all but two in the top six, including Chesterfield rather tellingly, suggests the problems are more at the other end of the pitch. Every team bar one has outscored us by considerable margins.

3 minutes ago, League one forever said:

Yeah, pretty much- which isn’t good for next season and getting the best out of those still here. 

The only alternative is to blow smoke up supporters' arses as DU was doing. The Emperors new clothes approach. That unravelled as quick as our gameplans do at home.

I can't find much fault in MM's approach to interviews. He's being as diplomatic as possible, scarecly picks out a player for criticism publically and said pretty much what was on the tin. It's in striking contrast to someone like Marc White (who I admire in other ways by the way) or Luke Garrard (who I can't stomach) who week to week were regularly picking out negatives in players in post match pressers. That's certainly not how to handle pressure, demonstrated by Dorking and Boreham Wood's league positions.

4 hours ago, oafc1955 said:

Yeah you’re right

Really pissed off last night with another half arsed performance but my views haven’t changed much after I’ve slept on it.

 

I just fail to see how so many players, who’ve performed exceptionally well previously at their respective clubs have come here and suddenly turned to shit!

 

Isn't building a team about getting a blend right? Not having too many rhomboids in star shapes, as @lookersstandandy likes to say. We've elements of it right. I'd say the defence is fairly sound in the centre for this division. The forward line has plenty of talent running through it in it that are starved of service. Much of which boils down to the midfield being woefully underequipped to control matches and deliver ammunition. It's fairly evident to me where immediate improvements can be made ove rthe summer.

6 minutes ago, League one forever said:

He might as well say- I’ve tried, but they’re all shit, but I can’t move them on so god knows what will happen. 

Isn't that effectively what he has said?

2 minutes ago, BP1960 said:

 

We are forgetting during that good run most home performances were abysmal. That was the real problem not addressed by MM.

Home form hasn't been addressed by about 30 managers since JR left us. We've lost on average 8-10 home matches every season since. You can't place that specific blame at MM's feet. 

Even Dowie's team. The hardest (in a physical sense) team I've ever seen us field, lost around 6-7 at home the season we made the play-offs. The issue is an endemic one.

1 minute ago, deyres42 said:

Results suggest the players were fine when he started in the job, they've got worse the longer he has had time to implement his 'plans'.

 

Seems unlikely that he'll be able to move vast swathes of under contract players out and bring a load in.

‘Cracks were just papered over, that’s all. It wasn’t fine.

Sheron is versatile. I’d only keep him based on that alone. He’d not be a starter but a useful player to bring on in-game to replace an injury. MM has finally sussed him out hence dropping him for the last 3 matches. A hallmark of our midfield; just not quite good enough.

1 minute ago, spanishfly said:

Think of it like this, we should not be casting envious eyes towards Altrincham at this stage of our journey should we?

I’m very envious of the way they turned LLLLLL into WWWWWW when it mattered tbf.

12 hours ago, Londonboy said:

 Twist and go again with someone new who will still inherit our bunch of frauds who arn't good enough.... but may have a different view on how we play .

it’s not a difficult decision. A new manager will still inherit the same problems next season.
 

We have to stick to a plan and see that plan through. Offer MM the chance to make sweeping changes and hope that it’s enough to turn a squad (that still won’t quite be there, it must be said) from play-off fringes to where Bromley and Barney are; two teams which have evolved to where they are over 3-4 seasons.

Sacking MM, as much as a growing number of fans want to do, simply puts us at bigger risk of a repeat season.

6 hours ago, BradKnowles1 said:

Very bizarre interviewing from Mellon. Says hardest job he’s done tougher times ahead. Very confusing 

I don't think it was bizarre. It was one of his most revealing yet. Plainly obvious he's had to bite his lip since he came in with an assessment after just two matches that there were huge problems ahead. He'd love to throw 75% of them under the bus immediately but he still has to try and get a tune out of them.

He's not without blame of course. Mistakes have been made, probably by trusting players he couldn't and who have let the club down during the season. 

I'd back him to ensure we had a much leaner, much better team next season. It'll take a lot of wheeling and dealing and I don't think we'll be the finished article by any stretch. But I'd expect we'll field a side that can turn 1-0 leads into wins and matches like today into three, fairly ugly points. Man's a proven winner and not someone you'll want to underestimate to get it right in my opinion. Back him.

7 hours ago, oafc1955 said:

MELLON OUT!!!

Now then…..I’ve said it!!

All the players we’ve signed whether it be Unsworth, Mellon or whoever , are all players from a higher level or players who have performed exceptionally well for their previous clubs in this division.

That was fucking awful again and I don’t buy this, they’re not his players!

I can understand a problem with one or two but FFS he should be able to get a performance out of this lot. We are stuck with about 16 of these players next season so why will it be any different!

I was fucking livid watching that…..no more excuses, he looks as half arsed as the players.

Him being here next season should definitely not be a given….the board need to decided whether or not he’s the man to take us forward.

I honestly don’t think he is.

Not bothering going to the Halifax game now wherever it is and will be seeking a refund!

Absolutely disgusted with my football club!

 

You need some exclaimation marks bud. I can't take it seriously.

Some pictures were posted in the Oldham's Past FB page (a great thing by the way). They're such good quality. Noticable how old fellas dressed back then Off to the footy in suit and tie!

Group is here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/621240799724797/?hoisted_section_header_type=recently_seen&multi_permalinks=958186086030265&__cft__[0]=AZW6AqDWz5CHy18LNpxpFwMClg6GWhNMd8sXtoamPZD5YeNFGVwwBwvwOqnXcWtwlhZU7eB-G-oD5bN4zXGG41qkjO_H9uykLdjklc-oZYMbVpwccKzav0vSmNyNLhApPlutFnOlkGO3vqSq54ZpmAsbaG9i4YaJf9ydyCCARvEKQjxVI9Ay6jO2j_LJY0UnWLA&__tn__=-UC%2CP-R